


From Me to You

by x_ziv07



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Ficlet Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2020-06-09 16:05:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19479337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/x_ziv07/pseuds/x_ziv07
Summary: A collection of ficlets of kisses, and the meanings behind each one depending on where they were placed. Based on loosely-translated Pixiv prompts. Ratings may vary depending on the chapter.1. Hair - Deep affection (memories)2. Forehead - Congratulations (blessings)3. Eyelids - Admiration (yearning)4. Ear - Temptation (tease)5. Bridge of Nose - Cherish (to keep close)Current chapter: Tomoe and Ako find an unexpected visitor at their doorstep on a rainy day.





	1. Hair - Deep affection (memories)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomoe has a habit of playing with Saya's hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently found out the names of Saya's parents so I'm gonna start using them when applicable now lol.

The bell above the entrance jingled cheerfully as Tomoe stepped inside. Almost immediately, a warm voice called out to her from the register counter. “Ah, Tomoe-chan!” Saya’s mother, Chihiro, said as she set aside a small, brown paper bag stuffed to the brim of various bread and pastries. “Welcome! Are you looking for Saya-chan?”

Tomoe gave a short wave, accompanied by a toothy grin. Right as she opened her mouth to greet the older woman, Tomoe spied two much smaller figures popping out from behind the counter. In a flash, Sana and Jun darted in Tomoe’s direction, barely giving the drummer enough time to brace herself for the impact as the two collided into her stomach.

“Tomo-nee!” Jun and Sana squealed as their small hands wrapped around Tomoe’s side.

“Hey there, kiddos! How are you two doin’?” Tomoe placed on her hands atop their heads to playfully ruffle their hair, chuckling in amusement at their enthusiasm. Then she looked back at Chihiro, “And, hey, auntie! Good afternoon! And, uh, yeah! I was looking for Saya.”

Chihiro’s eyes crinkled fondly at the sight. “My, those two have really gotten quite attached to you, huh Tomoe-chan?”

“That’s because Tomo-nee is so cool!” Sana piped up. “Ah! Did Tomo-nee come to play with us?”

Tomoe grinned. “I actually came by to see if Saya was around. But if you two get permission from your mom, I can take y’all out to the park later. How about it?”

Jun and Sana lit up instantly like a pair of mega-watt light bulbs. They dashed back to their mom, gripping the front of her apron.

“Can we go to the park with Tomo-nee?” Jun asked excitedly.

“Can we? Please, mommy?” Sana chanted. 

Chihiro smiled as she gently patted their shoulders. “Yes, you may. But only after you finish running your errands.” She gestured to the brown bag sitting by the register. “Your father needs us to make a quick delivery today. Remember?”

“Oh, I can take care of that for you, if you don’t mind,” Tomoe offered.

Jun snatched the bag and handed it to Sana. “Don’t worry, Tomo-nee! We can do it! Then we can all go out together!” 

“But… at least let me walk with you then,” Tomoe tried again. It didn’t sit right with her if she were to let the kids go off on their own unattended.

“Oh, don’t you worry about it, I’ll be with them to watch them,” Saya’s mom said. When the clear reluctance refused to budge on Tomoe’s face, Chihiro added, “It’s right around the block, so we won’t take very long. My husband is finishing up in the kitchen so he’ll be here to watch the store while we’re gone. Besides, you came to see Saya-chan, right? She went upstairs after she finished her shift earlier. You can go on up to see her while you wait,” Chihiro said as they moved the front of the bakery. Jun and Sana went over to Tomoe to give her another hug. 

“We’ll be back soon!”

“Bye, Tomo-nee! Let’s go to the park with Onee-chan later!”

Finally, Tomoe gave in. “Alright, alright. I’ll be right here when you come back. Be careful and take care of your mom, okay?”

“Okaaay!” Jun and Sana chorused together before dashing back to their mom’s side. Tomoe waved to the trio as they went outside.

“Okay,” Tomoe breathed softly to herself. To Saya’s room.

While Saya’s mom did give her permission to go upstairs, it still felt a little strange for Tomoe to go by herself, almost like she was intruding. Technically, she wasn’t—but it was still something that she felt awkward doing without Saya around to be the one to allow her in.

Tomoe tentatively stepped into the kitchen area and saw Saya’s dad crouched next to the oven. “Ah, Uncle Wataru! Good afternoon.”

Saya’s dad gave her a warm smile. “Tomoe-chan! G’afternoon! You here for Saya?”

“Yessir! And Auntie just went out with Jun and Sana.”

“Ah, did they?” Wataru reached into his apron pocket to pull out a kitchen timer. “Guess I’ll head out to the register then. Thanks for telling me, Tomoe-chan. You’re a great help. This batch will take a while longer to bake so I can spare a few minutes away from it.” 

On reflex, Tomoe was about to offer if there was anything that she could help out with, but Saya’s dad quickly beat her to the punch, “Saya should be in her room, so you can go on ahead,” he said as he moved past Tomoe, giving her a hearty pat on the back, knocking her slightly off-balance.

Tomoe let out a short bark in surprise, “Jeez, uncle! You gotta warn me before you do that.”

The older man laughed. “I only do it ‘cause I know you’re a strong kid! Now, go on! I’ll hold down the fort until my wife gets back.”

Sensing that there was no room for protest, Tomoe moved towards the staircase. 

Considering how frequently Tomoe came around the bakery over the years, there was no surprise that the Yamabukis were pretty comfortable with her hanging around. It also was encouraging to see how welcoming they were to not only Tomoe, but to Ako and the rest of Afterglow whenever they came in together. 

Then maybe, just maybe, when Tomoe finally got to work up enough courage to ask Saya out, then it would a good sign that the Yamabuki family would be okay with her and Saya.

And if all things go well, then maybe they would be okay with giving their blessings to them when Tomoe proposed—

Tomoe abruptly cleared her throat mid-step up the stairs, feeling the tips of her ears heat up. 

W-well, she was getting too ahead of herself there. One step at a time.

Tomoe paused upon reaching the door to Saya’s room, left slightly ajar. She rapped her own familiar _one-two, one-two_ pattern on the wood with her knuckles.

No response.

Frowning, she tried again. _One-two, one-two._

Again, no answer.

Furrowing her eyebrows in mild concern, Tomoe pushed the door open as slowly as she could. “Saya? You in here?” she said quietly, and released a breath that she didn’t even realize that she was holding in when her eyes fell onto Saya’s form sitting at her desk.

There was Saya, hunched over and sleeping peacefully with her head cradled in her arms.

Tomoe made her way to Saya’s sleeping figure, catching a glimpse of the papers scattered under her arms. 

Sheet music, and by the looks of it, Saya was probably busy transcribing parts of an unfinished song for her drums. Perhaps PoPiPa was in the middle of making some new songs to play at their next performance..?

Tomoe resolutely squashed her bubbling curiosity. Sure, there were some pretty cool drum scores in Poppin’ Party’s songs that she was always meaning to ask Saya to show her, but she’d rather get Saya’s permission first rather pry into it. 

Tomoe glanced at the time on her phone. It wasn’t very long ago since Saya’s mother and the kids left. And since Saya was seemingly sound asleep—Tomoe wasn’t even sure if she should be the one waking her up anyway if she was tired—Tomoe could bear to give her a few more minutes...

Her hand was already reaching for the ends of Saya’s hair, still neatly bundled in her ponytail. Her fingers carefully weaved into Saya’s chestnut waves, gingerly running down the strands, handling it as if it was precious silk threads.

It was an indulgence that Saya occasionally spoiled Tomoe with when they were alone, only after Tomoe swallowed her embarrassment to ask for permission to touch the brunette’s hair in the first place, but she was always grateful to Saya when she allowed it. 

It was a strange feeling to explain, the warmth that bloomed in her chest as she stroked Saya’s hair. It was just an oddly soothing gesture and it was reassuring to hear when Saya also admitted that it was just as soothing for her too. 

Tomoe always liked to have her own hair grown to a particular length—Himari and Tsugu had fun styling with it when they were younger—but sometime during middle school, she made the very bold decision to cut it shorter than usual, just as a change of pace. 

If Tomoe had to place a guess on when she started to have the indescribable urges to touch Saya’s hair in the first place, it was probably around the same time that she cut her own crimson locks. 

She remembered the startled look on Saya’s face when Tomoe walked into the bakery for the first time with her new haircut. 

“Tomoe! Ah, your hair!” Saya had exclaimed.

Suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, an emotion that she was unaccustomed to feeling, Tomoe’s hand raised to toy with her short fringes, “Uh, yeah! I did. Thought it would look cool. It… doesn’t look weird, does it?”

Saya blinked, then with a soft smile and light dusting of pink adorning her cheeks, she walked over to Tomoe. Gently, she grasped Tomoe’s hand to pull it away from her bangs. “It doesn’t look weird at all! I like it! It suits you, Tomoe.”

“Really?”

“Yup! You look really handsome, if I do say so myself.”

Tomoe felt her face flare up. “A-ah, uh, thanks! Thanks, Saya!”

“Say, can I… touch it? Your hair, I mean.”

They locked eyes. It was a question that caught Tomoe off guard, half-expecting Saya to throw in a playful little tease at the end of it.

Then she flashed Saya her usual wild grins, relief washing over her when there was none. “Sure!” she chuckled and tilted her head towards the brunette.

Because if Saya said she liked it, then it had to be true.

Tomoe smiled to herself at the thought. It was a small memory. Maybe Saya didn’t even remember it. But Tomoe did.

The feeling of fingers lightly scraping her scalp, the deliberate languidness of hands carding through her loose locks, the soft and airy giggles, and the undeniable warmth welling up in her chest that never seemed to have faded away. 

It was a memory that Tomoe treasured, as small as it was. And hopefully the odd habit that resulted from it comforted Saya like it did for Tomoe on that day that was so far away, yet so close in their intertwined past. 

Saya was always a constant in her life, in a way that was different than how Afterglow was. There were certain things that they shared in common—as older sisters, as the ones to ground their loved ones when things go awry—that allowed Tomoe to relax when they were together.

Saya stirred. Tomoe paused, only to resume the motions when a content sigh passed Saya's lips. At this rate, she might not have the heart to wake Saya up, even if she wanted to.

Silently, Tomoe leaned forward, pressing a lock of chestnut hair to her lips. 

“Thanks, Saya. For everything.”

Distantly, Tomoe vaguely registered the energetic milling of voices coming from downstairs and the fast-approaching footsteps coming up the stairs. 

“Tomo-nee! Let’s go!”

“Onee-chan, Tomo-nee! Hurry, hurry!”

Tomoe pulled away from Saya’s side, hearing Sana and Jun almost at the door.

Well, it was probably better to have her siblings wake her up if Tomoe couldn’t. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I'm not normally a person for prompts and such, I was recently reminded of a Pixiv-prompt fill that I really liked. The prompts are basically about how each location of the body that someone kisses has a different meaning. And since I'm still in a TomoSaaya mood, I thought this would be a fun thing to explore. But as a side note, I spun a few of them prompts around for better context. Because, yes.


	2. Forehead - Congratulations (blessing)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Yamabuki household after the kids' sports festival, featuring Tomoe and Ako.

When Saya finally arrived back into the comfort of her home, she let out a tiny, relieved sigh at finally finding shelter from the relentless rays of the sun.

Saya’s dad quickly moved into the kitchen as soon as he entered the house. Saya's mom stopped next to Saya, after hanging her sunhat on one of the hooks of the wall-mounted coat racks, to briefly remind to her to make sure that the kids go change and wash up before she also disappeared into the kitchen to help her husband with the celebratory dinner. 

Still lingering around the entryway near the front door, Tomoe and Ako were still excitedly chatting with Sana and Jun, lavishly showering the kids with praise for a job well done for their performance during their school’s sports day festival. 

Though their shirts were completely soaked with sweat and small flecks of dirt speckled their sun-kissed cheeks, Sana and Jun wore identical grins that split their faces from ear-to-ear, soaking in the praise like sponges. Saya was reminded once again for the umpteenth time how glad she was that Tomoe and Ako happily agreed to come out to support the kiddos on their big day. 

Which they deserved, of course. After a couple of close calls, Jun’s class narrowly managed to snag first place for his grade while Sana’s class tied solidly for second place for her grade level.

“Alright!” Tomoe lightly pounded on her chest, “Since you two did so well today, how about you let Ako and I treat you out! How about we go to that new amusement park that just opened up next week!” 

Jun and Sana beamed brightly. “Really, Tomo-nee?” Jun asked.

“We can go together?” Sana echoed.

Tomoe grinned widely, “Of course, it’ll be your Tomo-nee and Ako-nee’s way of congratulating you two.” Then she paused to glance at Saya, “W-well, I mean, as long as Saya and your parents are okay with it, anyway.”

The kids turned their attention to Saya. “Onee-chan, let’s go!” Jun exclaimed, hands grasping at the ends of Saya’s shirt.

Sana lightly tugged on Saya’s hand. “Onee-chan, please!”

Feeling like there was no room for argument, Saya’s resolve quickly crumbled. Not that she was against the idea in the first place. With all the time that Tomoe spent with the kids whenever she came over to visit, there was really no need for her to ask permission from Saya anymore. But Tomoe always does anyway, which was appreciated all the same. “Okay, okay, settle down! Since Tomoe is offering, I’m okay with the idea, but you need to ask Mom and Dad for permission too. Then, hmm… Ah, we can also go that family restaurant that we visited before on the way back home.” 

Jun whooped joyfully at the prospect and quickly grabbed Tomoe’s hand, swinging their arms together back and forth in his excitement. 

Then Sana perked up, as if she just suddenly remembered something important. “Oh, but Onee-chan, what about you?”

Saya tilted her head in confusion. “Hm, what about me?”

“Onee-chan helped make everyone’s lunch for today. So Onee-chan deserves a prize too!”

Saya let out an awkward chuckle, “I-I didn’t do anything special, I was just helping Mom out this morning. And Ako was helping out in the kitchen too—”

“And I won the treasure hunt game because of Onee-chan’s hairpin too!” Jun added.

“T-that was by chance!” Saya protested weakly as she recalled one of the games that Jun participated in earlier. She was only sitting on the picnic blanket with everyone when she suddenly spotted Jun making a frantic beeline straight at her. Before she knew it, she was running with her brother to the finish line with barely concealed confusion. Apparently, the clue that he drew from the box was “a type of flower” and the first thing that came to his mind was Saya’s sunflower hairpin that she happened to wear for the day. “Really! I didn’t do anything! Besides, today was yours and Sana’s special day.” 

Jun, still latched on Tomoe’s arm, was clearly unconvinced, so Saya continued. “And, um, that hairpin was a gift from Tomoe and Ako for my birthday. So, let’s leave it as a collaborative effort from everyone, how about that? Also, while we’re on the topic, you two should be thanking Tomoe and Ako for coming out today,” Saya said, tapping her cheek with her index finger. 

An unreadable expression passed over Tomoe’s face and Ako cocked an eyebrow. But thankfully, the haphazard explanation seemed to be enough for Jun and Sana. They both nodded in sync in response to Saya’s cryptic gesture. 

Sana motioned to Ako as Jun tugged on Tomoe's arm to pull her down. “Tomo-nee, Ako-nee, come here!”

Exchanging looks, the Udagawa siblings paused for a moment before stooping down to the kids’ eye level. Before either of the Udagawas could say anything, Sana and Jun lightly pressed their lips to Tomoe’s and Ako’s foreheads. 

“Thanks for coming, Tomo-nee!” Jun grinned.

“Ako-nee-chan, thanks again!” Sana chirped cheerfully.

Ako seemed to be momentarily taken off guard. But almost immediately, she pulled Sana in for a loose hug, returning the gesture with her own light peck on the younger girl’s forehead, the two sharing a small fit of giggles with each other.

In a similar manner, Tomoe planted a kiss on Jun’s forehead. “Aw, you’re welcome! Now, go on and change. You don’t wanna be sitting at the dinner table without changing into some clean clothes.” Moving to stand at her full height, Tomoe placed her hands atop of the crowns of their heads to playfully ruffle their hair. Then she nodded to Ako. “Hey, Ako. Can you go on ahead? Saya and I will be in the kitchen in a sec.”

A look of understanding came over Ako’s face. “Yeah!” she grinned. “Now, my servants of darkness! Onward into the cavern of the abyss to prepare for our next trial!” she finished with a flourish of her hands. In a flash, Sana, Jun, and Ako rushed forward up the staircase, leaving Saya and Tomoe alone in the living room. Beside her, Tomoe could see Saya’s ocean blue eyes fondly following the backs of her siblings.

With the trio was out of sight, Tomoe made her move as Saya stood distracted, to wrap her arms around her lithe waist. 

Saya relaxed into the familiar feeling of the embrace. A soft giggle escaped her lips when the loose locks of Tomoe’s crimson hair brushed against her neck. “Yes? What’s up, Tomoe?”

“Geez,” Tomoe sighed into Saya’s shoulder, “Y’know, you didn’t have to say that.”

“Hm? Say what?”

“About the hairpin. You didn’t have to mention that Ako and I got it for you.”

Saya’s hand glided over to the sunflower hairpin clipped on her head. “Mhm, maybe. I suppose,” she mused. “But it’s still the reason why Jun managed to win first place for that game. I figured it’d be appropriate to at least give you and Ako some credit.”

“You’re so stubborn.”

“Just as stubborn as you are. So, we’re equal then.”

Tomoe barked out a laugh. “Heh, you got that right.”

A warm smile came over Saya’s lips as she rested her head on Tomoe's collarbone, tucked under her chin. “Thanks again, Tomoe. And Ako too. For coming out today to support Jun and Sana.”

“Hey, don’t mention it,” Tomoe replied dismissively. “I love ‘em like they were my own little siblings too. And I know Ako loves them just as much. Y’know we’d do anything for those kids.” Tomoe’s expression softened, her hand coming up to the ends of Saya's ponytail, lingering for a moment to toy with the strands. “And that includes you too, Saya. If there’s anything you need, I’ll always be there for you.”

“I know. And I bet that Jun and Sana considers you and Ako as another pair of cool big sisters. You really like to spoil them rotten.”

“Well, I think that they’re pretty lucky as they are right now. They already have the coolest big sis in the world.” Then, empowered with a sudden stroke of boldness, Tomoe leaned in to softly kiss the top of Saya’s forehead. “You’re always going to be Jun’s and Sana’s favorite big sister.”

Slightly startled, a light dusting of pink colored Saya's cheeks. "O-oh. Thanks, Tomoe." Then a pause. "Then… does that mean you consider yourself to be like an older sister to me too? I mean, you are older than me by a month."

Tomoe suddenly untangled herself from Saya, coughing awkwardly into her fist. "Uh, w-well, maybe not like a sister. Like, I don't mind if the kids think of me like one! But I was thinking about being something else for _you,_ in a different way—” Feeling her face heat up by her own rambling, Tomoe quickly turned away from Saya, who also sported a similar blush on her own face. 

"What?"

"I-it's nothing!" Tomoe harshly cleared her throat, spying a tuft of purple peeping from the other room at the corner of her eyes. "Look, Ako and the others are waiting for us! Let's get going, yeah?" She spun on her heels, turning away in the direction of the kitchen. At the same time, Saya recognized the tell-tale signs of Sana and Jun rapidly zooming down the stairs based on the frenzied shuffling of feet.

Unconsciously, Saya’s hand floated to the top of her head, right where Tomoe pressed her lips on her forehead as she stood rooted to the spot. From the other room, she could hear the familiar sound of her siblings’ excited clamor intermingling with the soft clanging of pots and pans. 

In more recent times, there were a few new sounds that started to become more normalized into the Yamabuki household.

There were Ako’s booming exclamations, that slowly faded into a soft murmur before exploding again with another of her grandeur phrases. Then were Tomoe’s outbursts, hearty and warm, and most likely due to whatever antics the kids were up to. 

Saya didn’t exactly remember when Tomoe and Ako started to come over for dinner with her family. She recalled Tomoe offhandedly mentioning how she and Ako would occasionally make bento runs to the convenience store when their parents weren’t home or if neither of them was willing to cook food in the evening. After hearing that, Saya couldn’t help but to openly extend an invitation for them to come over to her house when they were hungry. 

Not too long after that, Saya found the pair standing sheepishly at her door, and it just started to snowball into an almost weekly habit.

Her chest swelled with warmth at the thought. It was truly a blessing to have such a loving family. Being able to share it with Tomoe and Ako only made it better. They always brought an extra note of chaos and joviality in the house that Saya could no longer imagine her life without.

As for Tomoe... Perhaps she was right. Describing their relationship as "sisterly" wasn't the right word. There was something definitely more intimate, something distinctly different between them—at least how Saya viewed it. The tenderness in the touches that they exchanged and quiet gazes that meant a multitude of things left unsaid were as exhilarating as they were frightening. But for now, Saya decided, it was best that she played things by ear. She'd find the right word for it eventually. One day, she'd talk to Tomoe in earnest and hopefully they could explore those blurred lines between them together. For now, what they had currently was more than enough.

“Saya!” She heard her name being called by her mother. “The table’s all set! Come over and let’s eat!”

Snapping out of her daze, Saya made her way into the other room, greeted with the bright, smiling faces of her family—and of Ako and Tomoe, with their wild, trademark grins. 

Tomoe gestured impatiently for Saya to take her seat beside her own, which she did. In front of her were a bowl of fresh miso soup, a separate bowl of rice, a variety of side dishes, and a plate with a generous helping of hamburger steak—Sana’s and Jun’s favorite dish.

Saya’s father clapped his hands at attention. “Now, I know that everyone had a long day, but I wanted to take this chance to say this again,” he turned to Sana and Jun, eyes full of love and warmth and pride, “Congratulations, you two! I’m real proud of the both of you!” he said for what was probably the twenty-seventh time since they left the school grounds.

At that, Sana and Jun beamed brightly with huge, toothy smiles. Saya barely managed to stifle a small chortle with how terribly silly and adorable her siblings looked.

“Now, c’mon everyone! Let’s eat while it’s still hot,” Saya’s mother said, already putting her hands together. 

“Itadakimasu,” everyone chimed together in sync. 

Saya lifted her chopsticks loaded with a delicate serving of rice to her mouth as she watched everyone enthusiastically dig in from her end of the table.

Beside her, Tomoe flashed Saya a playful wink. Saya lightly nudged her foot against the redhead’s own under the table in response. 

Truly, a blessing indeed.


	3. Eyelids - Admiration (yearning)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saya notices that Tomoe has been overdoing it again and decides to take matters into her own hands.

It was rather fine day, Saya mused. Perfect for going outside, or for napping. 

It was Tae, for all her bizarre mannerisms that Saya never quite fully grasped yet, that convinced her into making plans for going outside for the day. There were a number of things that Tae was surprisingly good at, despite what her airheaded disposition appeared to let on, including having strangely sharp instincts when it came to the weather. She recalled the guitarist's blank expression when they were together at Hanasakigawa’s pet room caring for the rabbits earlier in the week.

_A hum. “This weekend will be pretty nice.” O-Tae commented, more to herself than to Saya, as all the rabbits in the enclosure quickly surrounded her feet._

_“Oh, yeah?”_

_“Sunny. Maybe I’ll take Oddie on a walk…”_

_Saya smirked slightly in her amusement. She stood a safe distance away from the other side of the fence, while the guitarist was busy feeding the rabbits. “What makes you say that?” she asked, slipping a baby carrot through the spaces in the fence into Tae’s open palm._

_“That’s what they said.”_

_“Who?”_

_There was a sharp glint in her eyes when Tae turned to Saya. “The rabbits.”_

She chuckled at the thought. O-Tae was right in the end—or was it the rabbits?—completely defying the forecasts of the meteorologists on TV, who predicted moody, overcast clouds instead.

Beside her, Saya heard a long yawn. 

Giggling lightly, Saya pressed a finger to Tomoe’s cheek when she noticed the redhead’s drooping eyelids. “Tomoe~,” she said. “You still here with me?”

Tomoe blinked rapidly as if to chase the sleepiness away from her eyes. “A-ah, ah! Yeah, I’m here! W-what’s up, Saya?” Tomoe tried to play it off but the fatigue still evident in her eyes weren't fooling anybody.

After hearing Tae’s weather forecast, Saya decided to put it to the test by messaging Tomoe if she wanted to hang out on the weekend. The redhead readily agreed with gusto, like she always did, but Saya couldn’t help but help a little bit guilty when Tomoe yawned for the fourth time since they met up. 

“I’m honestly surprised,” Saya started, moving her finger away from Tomoe’s face to twirl at a stray lock by her shoulder. “Didn’t you say you went to CiRCLE to practice this morning?”

“Yeah! I did. After talking to Ran about our new scores last night, I stayed up a little longer to revise ‘em! And man, I got so excited to test 'em out that I could barely sleep! I rushed out of the house as soon as I knew that the studio was open.”

“Ah, I figured something like that happened. Either way, I was expecting you to be wide awake after your drum session,” Saya said. Between the crashing of the brass cymbals, the aggressive cracks of the snare, and the deep pounding of the bass drum, the entire drumming experience was essentially a tumultuous explosion of sounds. 

“I was,” Tomoe countered weakly. Then she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Or at least, I think I was, when I finished up. Getting behind the drums always gets me pumped up! It’s like a workout in of itself, y’know?”

Saya nodded sagely in agreement. “Oh, I definitely know what you mean,” she said, unconsciously twirling her wrists. Being the drummer meant that she was always watching out for the band in the back. Kasumi and her boundless energy aside, Saya could sympathize with how tiring it was for everyone else in the band to always be on their feet during their jams. Playing the drums, on the other hand, was a different kind of exhaustion due to the constant movement of her arms and legs. Saya had long accepted the fact that she would be drenched in sweat each time she picked up her sticks. 

“I took a quick shower back at home after I left CiRCLE and I figured I’d have enough energy when I had to take over for Aya-senpai’s shift afterwards,” Tomoe continued, rubbing one of her eyes with the back of her hand. “But it was probably a bad idea to eat during my break before I met up with you.”

“Are you crashing?”

“I… think? I knew I shouldn’t have eaten an extra serving of fries. But Kanon-senpai makes best-tasting ones out of the entire staff.”

“Staying up late and feasting on fast food? You sure are living the life, aren’t you Tomoe?” Saya joked and playfully nudged Tomoe’s side.

Tomoe cracked a grin. “Hey, I’m still young! Gotta live life to its fullest, yeah?” A pause. “But don’t tell Ako I said that. I don’t want her getting any ideas.”

Saya quirked an eyebrow when Tomoe yawned again. “Are you sure you’re okay? We can call it a day if you’re tired.”

At that, Tomoe’s back seemed to snap up at attention again and she squared her slouching shoulders. “Wha—nah, I’m fine! Really! And besides, we already planned to go out today.”

“I don’t want you to be forcing yourself if you’re tired though. We can reschedule, it’s fine.”

Originally, Tomoe mentioned during their exchanges of messages that her weekend was practically free. But somehow in between the time that Saya texted her to the day of, Tomoe managed to rack up a fair amount of errands to run, tasks to do, and extra hours to work at her part-time job. Sure, Saya had her hands full with the band, the bakery, and taking care of her family at home. But Tomoe always seemed just as busy, if not more so at times. It was no wonder that she was tired.

Tomoe frowned. “Yeah, but…” Then she pulled away, mortified. “Aw man, now I feel bad. I-I’m not wasting your time or anything, I am? I mean, you were the one that called me to hang out today and I’m—”

Before Tomoe could say anymore, Saya quickly silenced her with a finger on the redhead’s lips. “Hush, none of that. I always have a great time when I’m with you, Tomoe, and today is no exception.” Tomoe opened her mouth to interject, but Saya continued by pressing even more firmly on the other girl’s lips. “But if you really feel like you need to make it up to me—which you don’t, just to be clear—then at least give yourself a short power nap or something.”

Without skipping a beat, Saya gently grasped Tomoe’s collar to leave a kiss above her eyelids, right below the brow. She lingered for a moment, basking in the sense of satisfaction when Tomoe’s shoulders finally released some of their knotted-up tension. Then she leaned forward again, pressing her lips to the corner of Tomoe’s eyes, still watery with sleep. “Please. Even just for a few minutes.”

Tomoe blinked once in bewilderment before she let out a reluctant, defeated sigh when Saya finally allowed her to talk again. A sheepish chuckle escaped her lips. “Alright, okay. I gotcha. You drive a hard bargain, Yamabuki.”

Saya smiled coyly at her victory. “There’s a good reason why I’m always working at the shop and don’t you forget it, Udagawa.” She nodded in the direction of Tomoe’s house. “Now, I can walk you back to your house. Or you can take the bed in my room. Jun and Sana are out with my mom for the day, so you don’t have to worry about it being too noisy. And either way, I’ll be right there when you wake up.”

To her mild surprise, Tomoe instead scooted closer to Saya’s side to rest her head on the brunette’s shoulder. “Nah, I’m good right here.”

“You sure? You’d be more comfortable on a bed or a couch,” Saya said, but made no move to stand.

“I’m sure. The weather feels nice and it’ll only be for a little while.”

“Then how about on my lap?” 

Tomoe made a choked sound and her body jerked up, her face tinted with a faint pink. “This is fine! I’m good right here.” Clearing her throat, she closed her eyes and settled back on Saya’s shoulder. “Just for a few minutes, okay? I don’t wanna be wasting daylight by sleeping the day away when you probably have better things to do than watching me sleep. And at any time you start to feel uncomfortable, feel free to push me off.”

“I won’t push you off and it’s fine, Tomoe. Really,” Saya said, allowing her to nuzzle into the crook of her neck, “but okay, I’ll wake you up soon enough.” Tomoe’s hand brushed against hers and Saya met her halfway to loosely lace their fingers together.

Just as Saya predicted, it didn’t take long for the redhead to be out like a light, judging from her soft breathing.

As much as Tomoe reminded her to take a rest every once in a while, Saya wondered if the redhead took her own advice herself.

Tomoe was an incredible person. For the longest that she could remember, Saya always admired Tomoe’s honesty and her dedication to the ones she loved. Her easy-going attitude and steadfast presence made it feel natural to rely on her. They always have gotten along too, seeing that they were usually on the same wavelength all the time. They also shared the same habit of having an extremely difficult time in refusing others when being asked for help. The reverse was true too; reaching out to others to ask for help was just as hard.

It was certainly nice to know that Tomoe was always there to have her back, even if Saya didn’t necessarily asked for it. But if Tomoe was so busy supporting everybody else, who was doing the same for her?

It was another shared sentiment that the two drummers had. Unvoiced and rippling just beneath the surface, but present nonetheless. 

It was still hard for Saya to ask for help when she needed it. The idea of sharing her burdens with others was still foreign to her and it was thanks to everyone in PoPiPa that helped Saya come this far.

...And Tomoe, for always watching over her from afar and ready to catch her when she fell. 

Saya shifted slightly, feeling a vague sense of relief at the sound of Tomoe’s even breathing. When the day came when Saya learned to be more honest with herself, she hoped that she could become better with supporting Tomoe in the same way. But if all that she can offer her right now was a few extra minutes of rest, then that was fine too.

She gave their intertwined hands another squeeze.

“Sleep well, Tomoe. You deserve it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really had to pull myself away from the whole FE Three Houses hype to write again *huff huff* After playing BE first, I can't bring myself to play a different route so here I am.


	4. Ear - Temptation (tease)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saya has terrible enablers for friends.

Kasumi sipped the last of her drink, waving her index finger in the air along to the music score scribbled on the papers in front of her as she hummed. Saya waited patiently beside her for a response. 

She had promised Kasumi to help her revise the last two verses of a song after being stuck on it for several days. Technically, it was fine as it was and the band had already started practicing it recently in Arisa’s basement. But it was Kasumi that felt like there was still something that could be added to improve it. So Saya offered to meet up for lunch to go over the rest of the song together. Rimi wanted to come along too, but a change of plans in her schedule meant that they would eventually see the shy bassist later in the day instead.

Kasumi nodded to herself in affirmation. “Yup! I like it! I think the ending flows a lot better now. Thanks, Saya!”

“Don’t thank me just yet,” Saya replied with a nonchalant smile. “After Rimi-rin takes a look at it, then we’ll have to show it to everyone else.” 

“Ehehe, I know Arisa will like the changes we made! I think O-Tae has gotten a hang of her solo part down, so we need to set up a jam session to try it out!”

“Getting ahead of yourself, are we? But yeah! I do like how it came out so far. I’m sure everyone will love it.” 

Saya and Kasumi slid out of the booth to dispose of their trash. “Should we better get going then?” Saya asked upon returning to their booth. She gathered the stray papers on the table into a tidy stack and placed them inside the pocket of her yellow folder. “Rimi-rin mentioned that she’ll drop by the bakery soon for some coronets after she’s done helping her mom out. I stashed some away for her this morning but I want to make sure it’s still there, in case I need to prepare a new batch.”

Kasumi’s eyes twinkled. “So she's coming over after all? I want to go too!”

“Of course, you’re always welcome to. Besides, I’ll need you to be there to help me explain the things we changed.”

“Oh!” A new voice cut in. “It’s Saya and Kasumi!”

The duo turned around to see a group of familiar faces. Kasumi beamed brightly as the Afterglow members approached them, exchanging a hi-five with Himari and cordially greeting the rest. Saya’s eyes met with Tomoe’s first and the redhead smiled fondly at her in return. They embraced smoothly—a new habit that they recently developed shortly after they started dating—lingering in each other’s arms until Tomoe stepped back towards her bandmates.

But there was one person that seemed to be missing in their usually tight-knit group.

Kasumi blinked. “That’s rare. Tsugu isn’t with you today?”

Ran shook her head. “We’ll be seeing her after we pick up something to eat. Tsugu’s still working at the cafe right now.” Then she noticed the empty table booth. “Are you two leaving?”

“We were about to leave, yeah,” Saya nodded and gestured to her folder still on the table. “We’re heading back to the bakery to have Rimi-rin look over a few things.”

“Then…” Moca side-stepped behind Kasumi to slide to the end of the booth. “Moca-chan will claim these spots!”

Saya could see Ran let out a small scoff. “We’re not even going to eat in, idiot,” she muttered under her breath. She took her wallet out of her pocket to quickly skim through its contents. “I guess it doesn’t matter. Hey, I’m going up to place our orders. Everyone good with the usual?”

Tomoe gave her a thumbs-up as she slid a chair out, legs scraping loudly against the tiled floor, to sit opposite from Moca. “Yeah! The same as always, eh Ran!”

Ran smirked, running a hand through her hair. “Yeah, like always. C’mon, Himari. I‘ll need help carrying everything back.” Then she nodded towards Tomoe. “Keep an eye on Moca so she doesn’t do anything weird.”

Tomoe snickered. “You got it, leader.”

“We’ll be right back, Kasumi, Saya,” Ran said before heading off in the direction of the register where Aya was standing.

“Aye, aye!” The bassist saluted, following behind Ran with a quick wave to Saya and Kasumi. “See you two in a bit!” Then Himari seemingly directed a very conspicuous wink to Moca that had Tomoe curiously cocking her head to the side when Moca flashed the bassist an equally conspicuous thumbs-up. Kasumi must had noticed too, by the way the corner of her right eye twitched as if she was going to return the gesture with her own out of reflex, but stopped through the motion. Even more strange was when Moca turned to look squarely at Saya, silently mouthing something. 

Saya creased her brows, mentally trying to piece it together. What was she..?

...Oh.

It suddenly clicked in her head.

For the briefest of moments, Saya gawked at the silver-haired guitarist, aghast. 

Because really? Here?

_Now?_

Moca simply shrugged.

Saya took a quick survey around the restaurant. It wasn’t very crowded inside, with only a handful of people scattered around the dining area. She noticed Kanon on the other side of the floor, diligently wiping down a table, but otherwise paying them no mind.

But… Whatever Moca was insinuating just didn’t seem appropriate. Especially because it was Moca. And even if no one was watching, this was still a public area!

Saya conveyed all this with a hard look and shake of her head.

When all Moca had to offer was a suggestive waggle of eyebrows, she frowned. But she couldn’t help but to fight down a surge of heat rising to her cheeks when she realized that the other girl actually seemed serious. Coughing lightly into her fist, Saya sidled behind Tomoe’s chair in hopes that the redhead wouldn’t see. Moca followed her motions carefully with eyes alight with expectation.

It wasn’t like her relationship with Tomoe was a secret and it wasn’t like they had anything to hide either. In fact, as soon as word came out about their relationship, they were met with universal approval from their friends and family, including everyone in the district. They weren’t exactly shy about their public displays of affection either, though it usually consisted of a few chaste kisses here and there, or holding hands during their walks around the district. While Saya found a great amount of enjoyment of teasing Tomoe, she tried not to do anything too intimate in public, preferring to keep that to themselves in more private spaces.

If Tsugu or Arisa was here, it would be a lot easier to ignore the peer pressure thanks to their ever-constant voices of reason. Alas, it was just her luck that neither of them were present.

But with Himari, Moca, and seemingly Kasumi here to egg her on, the idea did seem more tempting than it should’ve been.

Kasumi suddenly let out a sound. “Oh! I forgot! Saya, can I bring some snacks home for the kids?”

“Ah.” Saya shook her head to clear her thoughts, “Sure, you can. Not a whole lot though, I still want them to be able to eat their dinner properly.”

Kasumi grinned brightly and enthusiastically slapped a hand on Saya’s back, pushing her into Tomoe’s chair. Saya shot her a bewildered glance. Was Kasumi really in on this half-baked plan too? “Okay! I’ll be right back!” Kasumi said and zoomed to the register right behind Ran and Himari, who were already placing their order with Aya.

Saya’s blue eyes flickered towards Tomoe, who regarded her warmly with a toothy grin when Saya’s weight pressed into her back. 

While Tomoe had her head turned away to look at Saya standing behind her, Moca shifted to prop her elbows on the table and rest her head in her hands. The motion drew Saya’s attention back to the Afterglow guitarist, who directed a daring grin towards the brunette with a mischievous glimmer dancing in her eyes.

Ah geez. Saya shook her head in amusement, resisting the urge to smirk. These people were becoming terrible enablers.

Okay. Okay, fine. Just a little bit then.

Not one to back down from a challenge, Saya cleared her throat, pulling out the chair adjacent to the redhead. Her hand purposefully grazed down Tomoe’s shoulder to her upper arm as she scooted her chair in close.

A thoughtful expression passed over Moca’s face and she tapped her chin. “Hmm, snacks. That’s a good idea. Maybe Moca-chan will buy some bread later.”

“Really? We’re already buying food to eat later. And didn’t you have some pastries from the bakery earlier today anyway?” Tomoe admonished. She jabbed her thumb in Moca’s direction. “You spoil her too much, Saya. Now look at her; she goes to your place so often, it’s almost like she lives there!”

“Fufu, good idea Tomo-chin~ I’ll go pack my bags when I get home and start living in Saya’s closet for now on. Ah, will my futon fit? Don’t worry, Moca-chan can fall asleep anywhere. A special talent.”

“Saya, don’t listen to her. You have my permission to kick her out of the store if she’s bothering you the next time you see her.”

“Then not the closet then. I’ll sleep with Saya in her bed then!”

Saya laughed, discreetly moving her hand under the table. “I don’t know about that. And don’t you ever repeat that in front of Ran.”

Tomoe cleared her throat abruptly when Saya traced a line up the side of her leg to slip her fingers under her shirt, right above the waistband of her pants, fingertips briefly skimming against bare skin before retreating away. Tomoe flashed her a slightly mortified look, unsure on how to react. Saya could tell that she was restraining herself from making any suspicious movements in front of Moca. If Moca were to call her out on it, Tomoe would never hear the end of it.

Saya couldn’t blame her either. For now, she chose to ignore it. 

“But tell you what, Moca?” Saya continued, feigning innocence as her nails lightly scraped the thin material of Tomoe’s jeans, feeling her stiffen under her touch. “For being one of our favorite customers, I’ll throw in an extra piece of melon bread into your bag if you do come by for a visit.”

“Hear that, Tomo-chin? Saya said that dear ‘ol Moca-chan was her favorite,” Moca said cheekily.

Tomoe rolled her eyes, trying to pry off Saya’s hand when she started rubbing slow circles above her kneecap. A faint blush started to color her cheeks. “She didn’t mean it like that.”

Saya grinned, gently kneading Tomoe’s muscles when she felt her tense up again. “I’m sure my parents have long since approved of Moca as one of their favorites since she spends so much time in the shop.” Tomoe’s breath hitched when Saya started to stroke at her with long, languid strokes. 

Suddenly, Tomoe jerked when the brunette pressed her palm into her inner thigh. Tomoe whipped her head towards Saya, then across the table towards Moca. “T-that’s, u-uh, only because Moca buys so much bread!” 

Saya chuckled softly to herself. That was a nice reaction. 

“But let’s see,” Saya said in a low voice, watching intently as Tomoe silently hissed out air from clenched teeth, “I think there’s someone else that I’d rather share a bed with instead.”

Tomoe flushed. “S-Saya, you’re—”

Whatever she was planning to say was cut off when Saya pressed her side into Tomoe, knees touching and so tantalizingly close. “How about it, Tomoe?” Saya murmured, dragging her fingertips up and down her thigh. Tomoe shivered involuntarily. “What do you think?” 

Moca could barely hold back a snort when the tips of Tomoe’s ears burned red like her hair. “Tomo-chin, you’re blushing!”

Finally, Tomoe suddenly turned to Saya, gripping the brunette’s wandering hand to restrain it from its explorations. “What are you doing?” she whispered harshly but her eyes were smouldering. “Moca’s right there!"

So was okay to do it when Moca wasn’t there? A part of her wanted to ask but she held her tongue, choosing instead to tuck it neatly in her mental notes for a later time. 

Honestly though, that was a good question, Saya thought. What was she doing?

There was no good reason for her to even be doing this in the first place, even if it was for the sake of amusement. Not to mention the earful she would most definitely hear from Tomoe after today. But she would be lying if she didn’t admit that it wasn’t even a little bit thrilling. And despite Tomoe’s protests, Saya was not blind to the growing fire simmering in her eyes. 

It felt too early to let the cat out of the bag just yet.

She leaned in again, voice dropping a step or two in tenor to whisper suggestively into Tomoe’s ear. “I don’t know,” she said, low and husky. “You tell me. What _am_ I doing?” From their proximity, Saya could feel Tomoe shudder. 

It was a rhetorical question. By this point, Tomoe knew exactly what was happening. Moca’s poor attempts of hiding her laughter was proof of it. It was only a matter of whether she was brazened enough to say that Saya was literally feeling her up under the table out loud. But by the way she bit down on her lower lip, Saya could tell Tomoe was really doing her best not to blurt out anything carelessly.

“Oh-ho? Tomo-chin? What’s wrong?” Ever the opportunist when it came to her relentless teasing, Moca asked with a devilish grin.

Tomoe’s eyes flew to Moca with barely concealed panic. “N-nothing! It’s nothing!”

“What’s wrong, Tomoe?” Saya whispered. “Just say it.”

The redhead’s face sparked fire as she spluttered about, grasping for but unable to form the actual words. Her genuine and honest nature were some of Tomoe’s prime characteristics that Saya always appreciated. Now, it felt like Tomoe was choking on her words because of them. “No, I—Saya—you’re, I mean, u-uh—”

Saya was starting to feel bad for putting her on the spot like this. From her peripherals, Saya spotted Ran, Himari, and Kasumi making their way back to the table with their bagged orders all ready to go. But she made the mistake of accidentally making eye contact with the strawberry blonde. Himari lit up like a lightbulb, matching Saya’s gaze with rapt interest as if she was waiting to see what was going to happen next.

If she stopped now, she would still be able to do damage control before it went too far.

But here in the Yamabuki household, Saya was taught not to leave jobs half-finished.

Saya offered Himari a small smile in return. 

In her panic, Tomoe also unintentionally released Saya’s hand to gesture wildly while she fruitlessly tried to come up with an excuse. Which was a mistake, unintentionally or not, because Saya seized the chance to curl her slender fingers around the firm muscles of Tomoe’s inner thigh where she knew that the redhead was particularly sensitive to, and _squeeze._

Being caught off-guard yet again, Tomoe was unable to stop the sharp yelp that erupted from her lips. Immediately, she clapped a hand over her mouth as Moca guffawed loudly. 

“Sayaaa! I’ve got some fries for the kids to share and—oh? What’s up with everybody?” Kasumi asked innocently. By then, the remaining Afterglow members and Kasumi were already at their table. Himari pursed her lips into a tight line, struggling to hold in her laughter. Even Ran seemed a little red in the face. Tomoe, meanwhile, was frozen in place from embarrassment, her face a searing hot crimson.

“Hm? Everything’s all good here,” Saya answered easily when no one else was in the right state of mind to supply a cohesive one. Huh. Maybe Kasumi wasn’t in on the plan that Himari and Moca cooked up after all? “I guess we really should get going then. We better get those fries to the kids while it’s still hot,” she said, finally removing herself from Tomoe and rose out of her seat.

“We better get going too. Tsugu should be waiting for us to come back,” Ran said as she elbowed Moca’s side when the other girl reached for one of the bags. Ran must have seen the whole thing too, if the smirk that tugged at the corners of her face was any indicator. But it quickly vanished when Moca wrapped an arm around the vocalist’s waist to draw her in closer. “H-hey, idiot! Stop that!”

“Ehhhh? Why? Moca-chan wants to try it out too.” 

Himari snickered, giving a wink to Saya. “Tomoe, your face is all red! I wonder what happened while we were gone, hm?”

Catching the cue, Saya moved next to Tomoe again and placed her hands on either side of the redhead to pin her down in the chair as she leaned over to hover next to her ear.

“Come by the bakery later tonight,” Saya all but purred. She snatched her almost-forgotten yellow folder on the table to obstruct their faces from the rest of the group and blew a warm breath at Tomoe’s ear, lips so dangerously close. Before murmuring the finishing blow in a deceptively calm voice, she left a lingering kiss on the curve of her ear. “And... maybe we can continue this later, hm?” 

As expected, Tomoe burst into flames, her mouth gaping open like a fish out of water when Saya moved her folder away. Saya straightened her back quickly to drag Kasumi by the arm to the exit without skipping a beat. “See everyone later! And tell Tsugu that I said hi!”

“Eh? Eh? We’re leaving already?” Kasumi said blankly before she waved to the group goodbye while Saya tugged her along out of the restaurant. “Bye everyone! Maybe we’ll run into each other at CiRCLE sometime!”

In her haste, Saya didn’t notice the loud thud behind her when Tomoe unceremoniously banged her head face-first into the table.

“Ooh,” Moca whistled as she fished out a fry out from her take-out bag. “That was better than expected.”

Himari squealed with cheeks as pink as her hair, relentlessly prodding Tomoe’s limp form even as steam seemed to blare out of the redhead like a tea kettle. “Tomoe, To-mo-e! What did she say? Hey! You gotta tell us!”

Ran sighed. It looked like Tomoe was going to need some time to recover. Taking out her phone from her pocket, she navigated to her speed dial.

“Ah, Tsugu? Are you done with work? Sorry, it might take a little longer on our end. We—ah, well, Tomoe is… Sorry, it’s kinda hard to explain. You’ll probably understand once we get there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started playing FE: Three Houses and wow I love Black Eagles. Special shoutout to Dorothea for being so amazing, I love her.


	5. Bridge of Nose - Cherish (to keep close)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomoe and Ako find an unexpected visitor at their doorstep on a rainy day.

“Ako!” You still alive in here?” Tomoe asked as she knocked on the door of her sister’s room. 

She had been hovering outside Ako’s room for a few minutes, patiently waiting for the door to open on its own. Ako usually wore headphones whenever she locked herself inside so Tomoe already figured it would take a few tries to reach her.

Another rhythmic set of knocks. “You wanna help me make some lunch?” 

A rather belated lunch, really. Tomoe was so engrossed with reviewing documents from the planning committee for the summer festival—not that she intended on getting roped into something beyond her regular taiko performance, but she couldn’t find it within herself to refuse when they asked—that she lost track of time. 

The festival was still a few months away but the more that she could knock out on her spare time, the less she’d have on her list when the time approached.

Unsurprisingly, Ako lost track of time as well. She mentioned to Tomoe the other day that she was planning to spend a good chunk of her weekend gaming with Rinko for some sort of in-game event. Tomoe didn’t know the specifics—not that she would’ve grasped them anyway—so she didn’t bother to ask. 

Nevertheless, it was already a quarter past two in the afternoon and Ako probably needed to take a break away from her computer anyway. Luckily, it was only Saturday so she still had plenty of time to get back into it later.

Finally the door opened, revealing a slightly disheveled Ako. Groaning, she stretched her arms up lethargically into the air. “Was it time to eat already?”

Tomoe playfully rustled her little sister’s hair. “It’s way past time actually! But I haven’t eaten since early this morning and I know you haven’t either, so help me throw something together for the both of us.”

Ako started to saunter into the kitchen, with Tomoe following closely behind. “I wonder if Mom left anything in the fridge—Uwaaa!” They both jolted at the sudden sound. Ako pointed to the windows when there was a crack of thunder. “Onee-chan look! It’s raining!”

It was as if the sky suddenly decided to come crashing down, completely dousing the neighborhood in a deluge.

“Now that doesn’t happen very often,” Tomoe whistled when sounds from the heavy downpour pounded against the windows. It was bright and sunny only a few moments ago. 

Stuff like this was uncommon in their area, but when it did, it never lasted for very long anyway. She opened the rice cooker. Hm, empty. Better make some more for later. 

Ako pulled a mug out of the cupboard to pour herself a cup of tea from the kettle, her attention still on the outside. Then she furrowed her brows, as if she noticed something in the distance. Tomoe followed her gaze for a moment only to find nothing noteworthy, the rain making it hard to make out figures and shapes from the window. 

“Onee-chan—” Ako opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted when there was a buzz at the door. 

“I’ll get it!” She said as she rocketed past Tomoe to the door. 

Tomoe was in mid-step when she heard her little sister exclaim.

“Saya-chan!”

“What?” Tomoe whirled around, surprised. 

There she was, completely drenched from being caught in the rain. Saya wringed the ends of her blouse before she gave a shy wave to the two of them. “Heya,” she said meekly, “you mind if I hang out here for a little while?”

Ako reacted immediately. “Ah! Gimme a minute, Saya-chan! I’ll go get the bathtub ready!” she piped, already turning heel to rush over to the bathroom.

“Oh, no, I don’t—and she’s already gone.” Saya let out an amused sigh then turned to Tomoe. “I guess you’re gonna tell me the same thing, huh?”

“Well, I don’t want you getting sick,” Tomoe grinned. Even though it was a relatively sudden downpour, it was still unusually heavy. “Stay here and I’ll get you a change of clothes.”

Dashing into her bedroom, Tomoe moved towards her dresser, sifting through its contents as soon as she threw it open. “Ah, here we go!” she exclaimed, collecting the articles of clothing in her arms and quickly returned to the front entrance. Saya stood uncomfortably by the doorframe, doing her best not to get anything wet despite her soaked clothes. 

“You can take these for now and leave your clothes out by the hamper when you go in. I can throw your stuff into the washer in the meantime.” She didn’t miss the shiver that ran down Saya’s spine. 

Saya offered her a small resigned smile. “Thanks, Tomoe.”

Her hand lightly wrapped around Saya’s slender wrist. Cold. And as expected, wet from the rain. Tomoe also handed her a small towel as she escorted her to the bathroom. As they approached, Ako peeked her head from the doorway. “Saya-chan! The bath is almost ready.”

“Gee, is this you two always treat your guests? With all this hospitality, it makes me feel I should stay a little longer,” Saya said.

“You should! We were about to make something to eat,” Ako piped. Then she turned to Tomoe. “Right, Onee-chan?”

“How ‘bout it, Saya? A five-star meal, on the house,” Tomoe said with a wink.

Saya’s eyes twinkled. “That actually sounds great!” A pause. “Before I forget, I should call my parents soon—I told them I was coming back home after I left Arisa’s house.”

“You have your phone on you?”

Saya pulled her phone out of her pocket. “It was probably the only thing on me that somehow didn’t get drenched. I’ll give them a call after I’m done in here,” she said, pointing into the bathroom.

“Alright! Everything you need should already be in there, including more towels. But if there’s anything you need, just give either of us a holler and we’ll come running!” Tomoe said, before taking Ako away with to give Saya her privacy. 

Ako hummed while she bounced back into the kitchen. She opened up the fridge, peering inside. “Doesn’t look like we have much in here… Oh, how about this?” She pulled out a large stockpot with a heave, its contents sloshing around inside. “We still have some leftover broth from last night. How about ramen?”

It was a family favorite in the Udagawa household, so much so that their mom always reserved at least one day every month to prepare it properly. Due to both of their parents’ ever-changing work schedules, their mom always made an excess amount of her homemade pork bone ramen stock for Tomoe and Ako to heat up later for nights that they were left alone.

“I’d never say no to that!” Tomoe let out a hearty laugh. “How about you, Ako? You don’t mind eating it again? I know we just had it last night.”

Ako preened. “It’s one of my favorites! As long as Saya-chan is okay with it anyway!” Then she added as an afterthought. “I think we ran out of noodles though.”

Tomoe glanced outside. The downpour had subsided enough that making a quick run to the nearest store wouldn’t be too bad, judging from the lighter pitter-patter sounds hitting the against the windows. But since Saya was here, Tomoe wouldn’t want to make her wait. Not to mention her growing hunger gnawing at her stomach. “We… might be able to use the instant ramen instead? We don’t have to use the packets, since we got the broth already made for us.”

Ako grabbed the last three packs of instant ramen from inside the kitchen cabinet, setting them right next to the stove on the countertop. She thought for a second before making a sound. “Oh!” She bounced on the balls of her feet, gesturing to her room with her fingers. “I forgot to get back to Rin-Rin! Can I go back to my room really fast?”

“Wait!” Tomoe said, stopping her sister right before she bolted. “How did you know that someone was at the door?”

That was enough to prompt Ako to pause dead in her tracks, thrusting one arm towards the windows and a hand to cover half of her face. “The secrets to the gates to the distant darkness were calling out to me! My third eye… Of Hades… Uh…”

Tomoe quickly cleared her throat. “Ako? Rinko’s waiting,” she said as she carried the large pot over to the stovetop, turning on the burner. 

“Oh right!”

“Don’t take too long though! I’ll only need a few minutes to heat this up,” she called out, mentally going through what else she needed for the meal.

With an enthusiastic nod, Ako dashed away back to her room—Tomoe made a silent note to herself check up on her little sister if she didn’t return before Saya finished her shower, knowing how prone Ako can be absorbed with talking to Rinko. 

Now, what else did she need?

There was a bundle of green onions in the fridge that was about to go bad in a day or two. Meat? Their dad had made a large serving of chashu pork to go along with the ramen. Boiled eggs are pretty classic, so she could get started on preparing a few of those. And top it off with toasted  _ nori  _ on the side. Yeah, that’d do.

Tomoe stepped away from the stove to gather the rest of the ingredients from the fridge and grabbed a ladle and a small saucer from the drawers. She filled a smaller pot of water for the eggs, setting the kitchen timer to pull them out once they were perfectly soft-boiled. 

Her mind wandered while her hands busied themselves with the tasks at hand. 

Saya had said that she was at Arisa’s house before coming over. Band practice maybe? Speaking of which, was Ako was supposed to have practice with Roselia today? Wait no, if she did then both her and Rinko wouldn’t have made all these plans for their game tonight. When she ran into Lisa in the convenience store the other day, she mentioned that Sayo had something going on for her archery club this weekend. Tsugu confirmed it too—Sayo and the other upperclassmen were busy preparing for an upcoming tournament. She noticed it going on for a while, but when did those two start becoming so close? Huh.

The floorboards shifted and creaked beneath the slow shuffle of feet and Tomoe gave her herself a little shake to scatter her meandering thoughts. She turned around when she heard the long sigh of contentment from the living room. Saya had emerged from the bathroom with a towel draped around her neck to pat at her hair that was gathered over her shoulder. 

Abruptly, Tomoe softly cleared her throat in an effort to not make her staring seem too obvious. She didn’t give too much thought to the garments that she gave Saya, since it happened so spontaneously. Now, having seen her fully dressed in her own jacket and a pair of black shorts, Tomoe couldn’t deny the way it made her heart clench at the sight. 

Averting her eyes, Tomoe distracted herself by ripping the instant noodles packs that Ako set aside. “That was fast. I thought you would want to spend some more time soaking in the tub.”

“All I needed was a quick dip,” Saya shrugged, walking towards her just to stop an arm’s reach away. “And believe me, I sure was tempted to stay in longer but I figured it’ll be warmer out here with you around than the bathroom.” She closed the distance in a moment, standing close enough to Tomoe’s side to land a playful pat on her hip.

“Hey, hey.” Tomoe said, splitting her attention between Saya and the cloudy broth in the pot. “Careful there. I’m dealing with some hot stuff over here.”

“Oh, I know.” The amusement was clearly evident in her voice, taking on a teasing lilt. “Must be tough being so hot all the time.”

Tomoe gave Saya a lopsided grin and a wink. “Sure is! I can’t get someone’s hands off me sometimes!”

“That, or it could just be the stove.”

“Hey!”

Another quick tap on the hip and chuckle. Saya peered into the stockpot and the barely-simmering soup. “I thought I smelled something good when I came into the kitchen. What’s all this? Ramen?”

“Yep! Hope you don’t mind. It’s all we got in the fridge.”

“Not at all, it sounds great. Did you make it yourself?

“Nah, my mom did though! I know her recipe, but I can’t make it taste the same way she makes it yet.” Tomoe ladeled a spoonful into the small saucer to offer to Saya. “Here, take a sip.”

Saya made a sound of acknowledgement, happy with the taste. “I know that feeling. Baking bread is one thing, but I can’t seem to nail the same flavor of my mom’s curry rice. Sana and Jun don't seem to notice but I can’t help but feel like there’s something missing when I make it.”

“Must be a mother’s secret, huh?” Tomoe said. “So I guess I should’ve asked this earlier, but what were doing outside? Hanging out with PoPiPa?”

“Something like that,” Saya replied, twirling a damp lock of her hair with her fingers.“We were at Arisa’s grandmother’s house to do homework together. But we ended up just messing around with each other instead.”

“Ah, I know what that’s like. I feel like I can’t get anything productive done when I’m with my band sometimes. It’s usually Tsugu that always has to get everyone back on task.”

“Arisa does that too,” Saya nodded. “But Kasumi and O-Tae are pretty good at keeping her distracted. It’s fun to watch. Arisa becomes really flustered whenever she gets teases, it’s cute.” 

“Must be a student-council-member-thing, eh?” Tomoe said. Moca was just as good at dragging everyone into her pace. Once Himari or Ran became swept into her pace, it became all too easy for the rest to follow. Tsugu was no exception.

They exchanged looks with each, before sharing a laugh.

Tomoe set the ladle down on the saucer to reach for the towel still around Saya’s neck, gently drying the ends of her chestnut locks. “How’re you doing? Feeling alright?”

“I’m holding up pretty well, thanks to you and Ako. And thanks again, for letting me borrow,” Saya plucked at the end of the black hoodie’s draw cords, “this. I’ve seen you and Afterglow wear it before, but I didn’t think it would be this comfy.”

It was a homemade project from Himari, who wanted to make something comfortable for everyone to wear on stage when they were first starting up as a band. Moca, who wore hoodies almost exclusively, was over the moon when Himari gave everyone a matching set, complete with a relentless barrage of teases.

“Don’t get too comfortable though,” Tomoe said. She unwound the towel around her neck to place on top of the counter. “I still use that when I’m with the band, so I’ll need that back later.”

Saya’s eyes glinted mischievously. “Oh? Just the jacket? Then I suppose you wouldn’t mind if, say, this red tank top magically disappears from your closet? It feels quite nice.”

Tomoe rolled her eyes in half-exasperation. Well, okay. She already had a decent amount of those tops stocked up in her closet anyway. Losing one wasn’t going to break her bank or anything.

(It wasn’t like she really enjoyed seeing Saya wearing her clothes. No, not at all. Swear!)

But her eyes seemed to like following the damp waves of her hair, still sticking to the sides of her neck. They traveled to her ocean blue eyes, so loving and full of warmth.

Saya tilted her head when their eyes met, voice low and soft. “Tomoe? What are you thinking about?”

Tomoe was then reminded about the strangely domestic situation scene laid out in front of her. How both Tomoe and Ako often liked to share a meal with Saya and the rest of the Yamabuki family. How wonderful it was to have Saya over at their house to share a meal with them in return. How much she loved hanging out with Saya and her family. And how much they loved to spend time with them as well.

Her eyes lingered on the curl of her fingers, their firm yet delicate touch. 

Reaching forward, Tomoe tugged gently at Saya’s hands, holding them in hers.

“...You’re still cold.” She whispered to words as softly as Saya had done. 

“Mhm, maybe a bit.” Saya interlaced their hands together, sidling in another smidge closer towards Tomoe as if drawn to the natural heat of her body. “But not anymore.”

They were close enough that Tomoe could smell that ever-pleasant scent of vanilla beans and honey. There was another scent that faintly clung on to her too and Tomoe recognized it to be the body wash of her favorite fragrance that was left in the bathroom. 

Her heart stuttered.

She grasped the hands in hers ever so tightly and all she could think about how nice it would be if they share meals together, every day. How she would do everything she could to protect her and to never leave her side.

It was all wishful thinking. Tomoe knew. But if there was anything to be said by the same lingering affection reflected in Saya’s eyes, then at the very least they could both look forward to sharing more warm, delicious meals together in the meantime.

For now, she’d keep those emotions close to her heart.

Tomoe ran her thumbs over Saya’s knuckles, hoping that her own body heat would help warm her up. Then she leaned in, tipping her head down to leave a kiss on the bridge of Saya’s nose. Saya let out a soft sigh.

They shared a long, lingering moment together, basking in the warmth of each other. 

“Onee-chan! Saya-chan!” Ako yelled down the hall as she approached the kitchen. “I’m here! Do you need help?”

Tomoe untangled herself away from Saya right at the second that Ako rounded the corner of the kitchen. The sudden lack of another’s warmth sent a slight shiver down her spine. Saya on the other hand, turned her face the other way to give herself a moment of composure, judging from the light flush that dusted her cheeks.

Tomoe cleared her throat again. She pointed at the ingredients left out on the counter. “You bet! I’ve got a couple of things I need you to do. Slice up those green onions, will you please?”

“Okay!”

Saya started to roll up her sleeves, attention now focused on the job at hand. “Got anything for me, chef? Let me help out too.”

Instinctively, Tomoe felt words of protest dancing at the tip of her tongue. It wouldn’t do to have their guests help prepare their own food. But this was Saya that she was talking to and Saya was most definitely  _ not  _ the type who would simply sit back while others did work right in front of her. 

Instead, Tomoe gestured to the counter again with a nod of her head. The broth in the large stockpot was finally coming to a rolling boil. “I left out some pork that we could use. It‘s cooked all the way through so all you gotta do is slice ‘em up,” she said, dropping the noodle blocks into the pot.

Saya smiled shrewdly. “You got it.”

A shrill string of beeps came from the timer. She almost forgot. 

While Saya started on the pork, Tomoe flipped off both of the burners, took the eggs to the sink to drain and into a cold water bath to deshell, allowing Ako and Saya some time to finish their tasks and set the table for three. The green onions would make a decent garnish and the pork would only take a minute to warm up once it was placed in the broth. 

Assembling the dish was quite simple—fish out a hefty amount of noodles, ladle a generous amount of broth, put a couple slices of pork in, two halves of a soft-boiled egg in each bowl, and top it off with green onions and with two sheets of  _ nori  _ on the side. Sure, the presentation wasn’t the most eye-catching in the world, but Tomoe knew by heart that her mom’s home cooking was nothing to scoff at.

_ “Itadakimasu!” _

Ako eagerly dove right in, bringing a mouthful of noodles to her mouth with a loud slurp. “It’s delicious!”

Tomoe swallowed a spoonful of the cloudy broth. Rich in flavor and hearty enough to feel satisfied until the evening. The creamy texture of the broth paired perfectly with the tender pork that melted in her mouth upon contact. A sigh of contentment escaped her lips. “That really hit the spot!”

She watched as Saya brought noodles to her lips with her chopsticks. Almost immediately, her face lit up, eyes shining. That alone was enough to tell how much Saya enjoyed the food. The sight brought a swell of pride to Tomoe’s chest. 

She wondered briefly when her parents were coming home so she could tell them how much she and Ako loved the ramen, that Saya came over to eat with them, and how much she loved them as well.

Tomoe bit into a large helping of noodles, unable to contain her eagerness. It tasted even better than ever.

“Y’know,” Saya started, momentarily placing her chopsticks down, “the next time you two come over to eat at my house, how about we try to make something like this together again? I don’t know if we can make something as delicious as this, but we can definitely try it out. How about it?”

Ako grinned widely at Tomoe.

Cooking wasn’t something that Tomoe could proudly say that she was particularly good at. She was decent enough to make simple things to keep her and Ako’s stomach satisfied. And sure, today didn’t count either; she was only reheating something that her mother has already made beforehand. But Tomoe relished the idea regardless.

“Yeah,” Tomoe said, nodding at her sister.“Let’s do that sometime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The black jacket is from Tomoe's "Rock and Glow" card and the aforementioned red tank top is from Saya's 3* event card from "Summer, Slow Summer".
> 
> In other news, I might be looking for a beta reader? For this fic and maybe to bounce occasional ideas off from time to time. Hit me up at twitter if interested: @x_ziv07


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